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Old 5th July 2020, 17:43   #46
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Quote:
Originally Posted by narayans80 View Post
Having owned a pre-owned 2010 Corolla in the past in the same city. Before taking a plunge I would check for the history of the car. Especially if its regularly serviced.

Negatives:
- Part replacements are bloody expensive. For example: The LED headlight assembly is a cool 60K INR apiece IIRC.
Hi Narayans80, thank you for the reply. Very informative. Can you guide me on the following:

1. The car Iam considering has about 30k kms on the odo and is 6 years old on date. Despite the age but low km odo, are parts failure a given fact I need to be ready for?

2. Apart from regular services, what should I particularly look for in the service history of the car?

3. What should I look forward to as parts replacement in the car, going forward?

4. Can you recommend an FNG for corolla altis which will make parts/repairs/maintenance cheaper in the long run?
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Old 5th July 2020, 19:17   #47
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Hi,

Sorry for the off topic. By any chance if you change your mind not to buy, please let me know. I am looking for an automatic Corolla for sometime and I would be interested to buy.
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Old 5th July 2020, 20:02   #48
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Dear Sterlingsilver, I would not recommend you to go ahead with this purchase.

Though this is definitely a 2 segment above & very lucrative offer, however given the current pandemic situation, i would encourage you to save as much as you can. (I'm comparing you with myself from middle class family, just like me). I'm sure you have a very bright future ahead & you will buy many more Corollas & Toyotas in future, however i believe you will loose too much on your Baleno. Since it was purchase brand new, i would recommend to stick with it for atleast 10 years now, as otherwise depreciation on it will be far too much. Invest that 2.5 lac for your kid & i'm sure that will fetch you greater value in return.

Also, on a lighter note if you would have been from Delhi & if you would have gone for purchase, i would have picked your Baleno, or would have asked your uncle contact for Altis :-p if i were in market to purchase a car.

Happy decisioning.
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Old 5th July 2020, 20:18   #49
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sterlingsilver View Post
1. The car Iam considering has about 30k kms on the odo and is 6 years old on date. Despite the age but low km odo, are parts failure a given fact I need to be ready for?
If the car is treated and maintained well it will run trouble free for a very long time. It's all up to your maintenance and driving habits.

Quote:
2. Apart from regular services, what should I particularly look for in the service history of the car?
Check for accident repairs, insurance claims, service history to ensure all parts recalled by Toyota were actually replaced.

Quote:
3. What should I look forward to as parts replacement in the car, going forward?
Brake pads! And they can get expensive. An automatic wears out pads way faster than a manual tranny. Unlike most cars the rear brake pads wear out faster than the front.

Quote:
4. Can you recommend an FNG for corolla altis which will make parts/repairs/maintenance cheaper in the long run?
I speak from experience having owned 2 Corollas for over 14 years. I'd recommend going only to the ASC. Toyota's charges for routine services including parts are reasonable and they take v good care of customers. With an FNG you have no recourse if your get screwed over. One more caveat - accident repairs can get expensive, much more than comparable ones with a Maruti. The headlamps (HID/LED in case of the VL) in particular are very expensive. So take care whilst driving.
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Old 5th July 2020, 21:36   #50
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Also note that the parts cost of a 6-year old Corolla will be significantly higher than an in-warranty Baleno. 1 major mechanical failure (yes, it happens in Toyotas too) can cost you Rs 100,000+.
Thanks to GTO for putting out facts plainly.... An old Corolla / Obsolete Toyota can be expensive to maintain .....
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Old 5th July 2020, 22:07   #51
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

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Originally Posted by sterlingsilver View Post

I want to keep financial prudence as the key decision factor here. While I am aware that I am getting the corolla for literally a steal, the existing car loan on my wife’s baleno is a silent killer and thought that this lateral upgrade deal gives me a stoploss.
If we did not have to deal with COVID:

You are financially better off taking a short-term hit on cash in bank by buying the Corolla and selling the Baleno. Not to mention the driving experience and comfort. Even with the extra running costs, the 3.5-4L discount in value of the Corolla is useful.

Since we have to deal with COVID and you have a kid on the way:

Cash in hand is a big deal. The uncertainty surrounding job security and healthcare availability and cost is just too much. Ask your relative if they are willing to hold onto the car for a little while longer. It is a tough market to sell a car now anyway. 6-9 months down the line, we may have better clarity. Simply put, buying it right now isn't a good idea.
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Old 5th July 2020, 22:50   #52
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

The most important thing as of now would be to take into account the covid uncertainty .First of all assess your financial health in the following way :
1) Personal savings of atleast 12 X monthly expenses after paying Rs 2.5 lacs for upgrade .
2) Term Insurance of atleast 10 times annual income .
3) Medical insurance covering covid of atleast 10 lacs for every family member.
4) Atleast Rs 2 lacs extra savings for the child birth related expenses.
5) Providing for any other major expense in next 12 months .
6) Your wife is comfortable driving a much bigger vehicle than a baleno.
IF the answer to all the above is yes ,then you can go in for the Toyota.Certainly the safety and comfort of toyota is much more than a Baleno.
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Old 6th July 2020, 00:02   #53
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

@Sterlingsilver,
Hold on to your horses. From what ever angle I see, exchanging a 3yr old hatchback with 7 year old luxury sedan doesn't seem right.
Didnt you study Gautama Buddha's principles to happy life in school?. 'Desire is the reason for sorrow" . Fun aside,i dont see any reason to go for this deal now.

1. You have a relatively new car which serves the purpose. Just dont get carried away by the purchase price. Every bit with corolla is going to be expensive compared to baleno. Spares, insurance, milage etc.

2. Emi pending is mainly towards principle. Doesnt matter you close off loan or pay pending emi's. Its all the same.

3. Peace of mind and comfort you get by knowing you have 2.5 lakh as buffer in bank account is pericelss. Ask me- i put all my savings and other sources of money to purchase a plot. There was a day when i was short of 500/- in bank account on the day of emi debit. Had to ask a friend to transfer some amount to make sure emi amount is addressed. Trust me, its not a good feeling to be in such situation. So better off keep some buffer amount in your account.

4. Even if you buy, where will you go? Whole india is locked and even if governments allow, people are stopping tourists from entering their towns and villages.

5. I have been searching a used tata safari from june 2019. But haven't come across good one. But i have faith and hope will find a single owner, 4x4 safari. My plan was to do some long trips with family in atmost comfort. Due to Corona, nothing such sort is happening any time soon. Now looking at covid situation, decided to spend on my little figo to do highway duties and improve my cash reserves.

Please assess the situation, need and priorities in your current phase of life and take decision.

- HTC
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Old 6th July 2020, 00:32   #54
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Hello Buddy,

I will reply to each of your points below:


Quote:
Originally Posted by sterlingsilver View Post
Hi Pareekvirendra, thanks for the heads-up on the parts pricing! Would like to know a little more details from you, would greatly help in my decision:

1. Did you have the car checked out with Toyota ASS / independent mechanic before your purchase?

2. Out of all the items you mentioned, only the brake pads and front suspension parts come under "wear and tear".All other items are prone to failure after X hours/ years etc. Did anyone highlight the condition of these items prior to your purchase, or did they just "'give away" during your ownership and usage?

3. Would love to know the stories behind the AC repair and headlights replacement

4. Your post reminds me of what GTO said at the beginning of this thread. Despite low kms on the odo, since its a 7 year car, are major repairs a given fact i need to be prepared for?

5. Your car looks well taken care of. All i see a well maintained car! Good going. Are you still owning it?
1. Yes, I did get the car checked at a nearby Toyota ASS as well as with a friendly neighborhood garage. They all told me it was an excellent purchase. In fact, when I took the car to the Toyota showroom to get it checked, there was another guy there who asked me to let me know if I didn't go through with the purchase, as he really liked the car (this was one of the reasons I decided to go ahead with buying the car ). The Toyota showroom guy and the friendly garage guy both told me that the car was in great condition and will not give me any issues for the foreseeable future. The car had 100000 kilometres on the odometer at that time and had a perfect service history.

2. Well, I agree with you here, most of the parts I mentioned are prone to wear and tear. Like I said, none of these parts were highlighted and were deemed to be in good working order, till the day they gave out. For example both the HID bulbs gave out within a month of each other and they were really expensive at the showroom. I ordered them from Amazon Germany instead and got two bulbs at around Rs. 9500.00. The head light washer is quite delicate and can be damaged by even a slight nudge to the front bumper. I moved to a different city and became good friends to the authorised service center guy here. He told me that no matter how good the condition of the car, these cars are really expensive to maintain once they cross 7 years or so.

3. I would love to know the story behind the AC too. Usually it works great and chills the cabin even in the extreme heat of Rajasthan Summers without any problem, but on some days it just stops working without any reason or warning it seems. The service center has had the car for about three days three occasions each time. Each time they return the car and tell me a different part is malfunctioning (First time it was the condenser coil, second time I don't remember what they said, and the third time they advised me to replace the whole unit with a price upwards of Rs. 80000.00 I think). To be fair, they did give a lot of time to the AC and the last time they took the whole thing apart and put it together again, but I don't think they can pin point the problem and hence have advised to replace the whole thing, which is obviously out of the question for me. Then the AC worked fine for another year and stopped working about two days ago. I wonder when it will start working again or what to do as a permanent fix.

As to the headlight, I was unfortunate enough to hit a dog. The dog wasn't hurt, and ran away, but the car was hurt badly. Lost both headlight washers, the inter-cooler, bumper, fender lining and some other parts. When I took the car to the showroom for repairs, they gave me a quotation which quoted the headlight at Rs. 75,000.00. To put it in perspective, my Bike cost me Rs. 75000.00 when I purchased it a few years back, and the Activa for my wife cost me 66,000.00 when i purchased it about two years back. That's how expensive the parts are. Thankfully the headlight wasn't damaged and I didn't need to replace it.

4. I am not sure about major repairs, but major bills are something that you will need to prepare for if you own this car. When (not if) something fails, it will be expensive to replace. For some reason, Toyota has really overpriced the parts of this car. The brake pads on an Etios cost Rs. 2800, whereas for this car they cost Rs. 8500.00. I believe the pads for an Innova cost around Rs. 3000.00 or so (not sure). All the parts for this car have a very heavy markup on them for some reason and this will really drive up your cost of ownership. The cost of ownership for this car is comparable to a Fortuner or a Camry when it comes to the parts. However, you can overcome this by buying parts from outside. For example the break pads from Bosch cost around Rs. 1800, and are the same ones as on the car.

5. The car was and still is in excellent mechanical condition and yes, I still own it. Despite all the niggles I have mentioned here, it is an amazing car to own and drive. Like I said earlier, the comfort level of this car is beyond what I have seen in many other cars. Once I start the car, its as if I am in a different environment.

In case there is anything else I can clarify, please do let me know. Cheers.
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Old 6th July 2020, 00:59   #55
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?



I would second GTO’s opinion - in these extraordinary circumstances, its wise to hold on to any savings you have. At the onset of COVID-19, I was very actively looking for a classic Mini (Austin Mini). I had found a few tidy examples for about £5,000. But then, I have now put these plans ON HOLD till things get better.

While the Corolla is a better/safer car (especially with junior on the way) and the price at which you are getting this cannot get better, I would recommend holding on to your savings. You will almost certainly get another deal like this (or maybe even better!) in the future.

Cheers,
Praveen
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Old 6th July 2020, 01:05   #56
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Don't sweat it out. There will be lots more Corollas in life .

I'd much rather live a stress-free life with a Baleno than stretch my finances / savings for an old Corolla.
This point sums it up perfectly. Stay stress free and have the extra money in the bank. If things recover in the next 6 months, you can upgrade then. If not, you'll be glad to have the money with you.
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Old 6th July 2020, 12:33   #57
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

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Originally Posted by sterlingsilver View Post
Thanks daredevil. I have actually asked my relative to please reconsider the offer price and Iam getting conflicting prices myself. I have asked him to do his homework and whatever price he finally quotes, I will take the car if it is within my affordability.

Relative or not, with due respect to his age, I definitely do not want him to unknowingly lose money.
This is very good to hear.

Quote:

Iam not sure what changed between Jan 2020, to July 2020, but prices of Altis is definitely NOT in the 8 Lakhs bracket anymore. Iam not able to say if 4.75 lakhs is the right price, but I can confidently state that it is not 8+ lakhs as many members suggest for the 2014 model. With dealers atleast, 2014 models are in the 4.00-5.25 lakhs range and 6.50+ lakhs for the 2017 facelift Altis in Chennai.
This is indeed very surprising to hear. I bought used 2016 Honda City CVT with 46000 on odo a month back for 7.XX lakhs. For last 3-4 months, I have not found any better deal than this. May be, the demand for Altis has gone down otherwise why would you sell it for around 5L. However, this is a good news to those who are planning to own Altis. I would say its still a good price for the car.
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Old 6th July 2020, 13:40   #58
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

If its a relative car its a safe buy. check if he can accept money in EMI from you?
This way you dont need to dip in to your savings.
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Old 7th July 2020, 00:14   #59
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

More than buying the Corolla, I would suggest you against selling your Baleno. It serves your purpose just right and is adequately safe for in city driving. Keep it for another 7 years and then migrate over to an EV. I am sure they would become more and more mainstream and there would be plenty of options from different manufacturers as well. In present times, keep as much savings in your pocket as possible; more so since you'd have a little one arriving soon.

I also think that Toyotas are a bit overpriced in the used car market currently and this is something which would change in the next 2 years. The car leasing mode of ownership would become more and more mainstream in the coming times which would further rationalize used car prices including cars coming from Toyota. Avoid a discontinued model anyways unless its and exotic and you have excess of cash to burn.
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Old 10th July 2020, 21:36   #60
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Re: Lateral upgrade from a '17 Maruti Baleno to a '14 Toyota Corolla?

Hello everyone, just wanted to post an update on the thread.

I decided not to trade in my 2017 baleno for the ‘14 altis. Took your suggestions and decided to keep the Baleno, under the current circumstances. Need to thank all members for their honest and genuine advice. Many suggestions were just like from family. Thankful for those.

Having said that, also did not want to let a good altis slip by. So I had my cousin who was also scouting for a good used car, to take up the altis offer,with a caveat to borrow the altis whenever it was free.

So thats that. Peace once again returns to this part of the world
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